Heart Of The Matter… A Nugget to life’s challenges

THE Heart Of The Matter is the title of a book written by Charles Harmony Ubajuruonu, a Nigerian evangelist and member of the Canadian Institute of Christian counselors. Published in 2013 by Unique Designs Graphics, Isolo, Lagos, the book deals with core issues of life, as it concerns Christians. 

  The book aims at enlightening, counselling, teaching and proffering solutions to the many challenges of life. It also hopes to equip readers with the strategies that would enable them achieve their goals in life. 

    Generally, people proffer solutions to their problems from the standpoint of their knowledge, experience and other know-hows available to them. And judging from a broad base view, one could classify man into two groups: those who see life from the angle of if you cannot beat them, join them; and those who conceive life as a competition and are forever running the rat race, scheming, devising ways to overcome their troubles. Though, it is the province of the scholar to research on ideas and solutions, however, for critics, it is their stock in trade to deride, backbite and demean others for personal gain.

    Indeed, the haughty taunt, abuse, consciously inflict pains on their adversaries, all for the sake of obtaining and retaining power and relevance. In The Heart Of The Matter, Ubazuruonu depicts candour that is rare among pastor-authors in Nigeria. Writing as an optimist, he envisions aggressive desperation as solutions to human problems.

   The 21-chapter book has 312 pages of bibliography, purpose and introduction. The author mused in his preface that life could be a puzzle and sometimes a colossal mystery, as revealed when folks speak their minds, while in the company of their friends. It is, however, amazing that man has the tendency to forget and sometimes play God. The Bible says we are children of God. But Jehovah fails to react, when any arrogates himself as god.

  However, Nebuchadnezzar’s downfall quickly comes to mind for playing God. After man was full of his ego in the book of Genesis, Jehovah backed out on him saying: “His spirit will not strive with man anymore seeing that he is full of evil,” Genesis 5,6,12. God said the wickedness of man was great on earth and that his thought is evil.

  And for the corruption in the world, God destroyed it with flood, but saved Noah and his family because He found Noah perfect. God then repopulated the earth. Thereafter, the nations of Sodom and Gomorrah became so corrupt again that God destroyed them, saving Lot and his two daughters, who became the progenitors of the people of Moab and Ammonites. Fortunately, Ruth is Moab.

  Women’s complexities turned Lot’s wife to a pillar of salt. The sons of Jacob again in disobedience to God sold their brother, Joseph to slavery in Egypt. Consequently, God allowed Israelites to go into exile in Egypt to show the world how great and powerful He is. 

   According to Ubazuruonu, it is interesting to note that human race borrowed law from the Bible, but these laws are good when they are used as intended. They are not made for people, who do what is right, because their lifestyle demonstrates the law. These laws are for the disobedient, the rebellious and the ungodly.

  Indeed, every champion needs to be celebrated. Jehovah is more than a champion, which is why it is incumbent on us to worship Him. In fact, the book is written in adoration of Jehovah. Well written, but it lacks the drama of an Anglo-American literature. It depicts much of verbiage of the Nigerian culture. Thus, the author teaches that God is a showman, who hides His glory in mystery, only to reveal it in churches. The book reveals that man can overcome his many challenges of life by seeking for God. “If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, I will hear from heaven,” 2 Chron 7:14.

   God takes pleasure in His showmanship, which is why He will not share His glory with any graven image. 

   With first degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ubazuruonu, a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Christian, is a counselor and an evangelist. He believes in reaching the unreached with the Good News, teaching and offering solutions to questions of life with divine insight.